The effects of transmission through a magnetic filter on the ion charge state distribution of a cathodic vacuum arc plasma
- Lawrence Berkeley National Lab., CA (United States)
The cathodic arc is an important source of highly ionized and directed plasma beams. Cathodic arcs can be operated using almost any conducting solid as a cathode, so that plasmas of carbon, silicon and most metals are readily produced. The high level of ionization means that the energy carried to a substrate by the depositing species is easily controlled using electrostatic fields. These properties make the vacuum arc an ideal source for depositing dense metal or semiconductor films with a variety of microstructures. Insulating films, such as oxides or nitrides, can also be fabricated by running the arc in a low pressure gas atmosphere. In this paper the authors report the effects of transmission through a 90{degree} solenoidal magnetic filter on the ion charge state distribution of a vacuum arc plasma as a function of the magnetic field strength and the injection distance between the cathode and filter entrance. The mean ion charge state, measured using the time of flight technique, increased compared with the unfiltered value at low magnetic fields and then steadily decreased as the filter field was increased. At high fields, it was significantly lower than the unfiltered value.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC03-76SF00098
- OSTI ID:
- 357690
- Journal Information:
- IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science, Vol. 27, Issue 1; Other Information: PBD: Feb 1999
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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